Lesotho capital gains tax calculator
Lesotho has no separate capital gains tax: the whole gain on shares, investment property or crypto is added to your income and taxed at 20% on the first band and 30% above it, after the personal credit. Your home is exempt.
Work out the tax on a share, property or crypto disposal from your dates and costs. Enter sales by hand or import your broker CSVs, and the calculator splits multi-parcel sales under FIFO, applies the year’s rules and shows the arithmetic behind the final figure. Everything stays in your browser.
Rates current as of 2026-09-30, from Revenue Services Lesotho and the sources each record cites.
Current rules
The rules behind the number
The individual scale by year of assessment (1 April to 31 March)
| Year of assessment | First band at 20% | Rate above the band | Personal credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | M67,440 | 30% | M10,560 |
| 2023/24 | M69,120 | 30% | M10,824 |
| 2024/25 | M70,500 | 30% | M11,040 |
| 2025/26 | M74,040 | 30% | M11,640 |
| 2026/27 | M77,760 | 30% | M12,240 |
Rules, rates and exemptions
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | No separate capital gains tax: the whole gain on an investment or business asset is included in taxable income |
| Gain | Consideration received less the adjusted cost base (section 59(2) of the Income Tax Act 1993) |
| Rate | The individual scale: 20% on the first band, 30% on the excess, after the non-refundable personal credit |
| Home and personal-use assets | An asset held primarily for personal use that produces no taxable income is outside the charge (sections 2 and 59(6)) |
| Losses | An investment-asset loss offsets investment-asset gains only; an unused loss is treated as incurred in the following year, with no time limit (section 62) |
| Transfers between spouses | No gain or loss is taken into account (section 63(1)) |
| Property cost base | Indexed for inflation after 12 months as prescribed by regulations (section 60(10)); this calculator shows the gain before indexation |
| Filing | Return for the year ended 31 March due by 30 June |
| VAT | 15% standard rate, registration above M2,000,000 of annual turnover |
Tables show the source records retrieved 2026-09-30; each links back to the authority page above. Property gains are shown before the section 60(10) indexation of the cost base.
Questions
Lesotho capital gains questions
How much is capital gains tax in Lesotho?
Lesotho has no separate capital gains tax. The gain on an investment asset is added to your taxable income and taxed on the individual scale: 20% on the first M77,760 a year and 30% above it for 2026/27, after a M12,240 personal credit. The rate that applies to a gain is therefore your marginal rate, 20% or 30%.
Are gains on shares taxed in Lesotho?
Yes. Gains on the disposal of investment assets are property income under section 20 of the Income Tax Act 1993, so a gain on listed or unlisted shares is added to your income and taxed on your scale. There is no holding-period exemption and no annual exempt amount beyond the personal credit.
Is my home exempt from tax on sale?
Yes. A home held primarily for personal use that produces no taxable income is not an investment asset, and section 59(6) leaves the gain or loss on such an asset out of chargeable income. A property you let out produces taxable income, so its gain is taxed.
Do losses reduce the tax?
A loss on an investment asset is deductible only against gains on investment assets. A loss that finds no gain in the year is treated as incurred in the following year, so it carries forward with no time limit. Losses never reduce salary or other income.
How does Lesotho tax a capital gain?
Lesotho has no separate capital gains tax. Gross income includes 'any other income or gain' (Income Tax Act 1993 s 17(1)(d)) and property income includes 'gains on the disposal of investment assets' (s 20); business income includes gains on the disposal of business assets (s 19(2)(a)). Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
How is the gain calculated?
The gain is the consideration received less the adjusted cost base (s 59(2)); the loss is the excess of cost over consideration (s 59(3)). The gain is taxed at the individual's income-tax scale, stacked on the year's other income. Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
Which assets are outside the charge?
A gain or loss on an asset that is not a business or investment asset is not taken into account (s 59(6)); an investment asset excludes an asset held primarily for personal use that produces no taxable income (s 2), which takes the private home out of the charge. Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
How do capital losses work?
A loss on an investment asset is deductible only to the extent of gains on investment assets; a loss disallowed in a year is treated as incurred in the following year, so it carries forward without limit (s 62(1)-(2)). No loss is allowed on a disposal to an associate (s 59(4)). Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
Are transfers between spouses taxed?
No gain or loss is taken into account on a transfer between spouses or former spouses on divorce, or on an involuntary conversion reinvested in an asset of like kind (s 63(1)). Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
Is the cost base adjusted for inflation?
The cost base of an investment asset in immovable property held more than 12 months is indexed for inflation as prescribed by regulations (s 60(10)); the calculator reads the unindexed cost, so the gain shown on property is before indexation. Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-05/Income%20Tax%20Act%201993%20%20Updated%20up%20to%201%20April%202012.pdf
When is the return due?
The year of assessment is the twelve months ending 31 March (s 2); the income-tax return is due by 30 June after the year ends. Source: https://www.rsl.org.ls/personal-income-tax